B.A.R.F. 101

[willyg44]

So we found out Leo was allergic to chicken, and chicken was the only source for organ meats we had, and we mainly fed him chicken most of the time but also beef/turkey/pork. This was a bummer, because going back on raw, I had no source for organ meat.

But tonight at my local Publix supermarket, they had beef kidney, hearts, and livers! I hadn't seen them before, I don't know if they just started carrying them or what, but I got really excited!! So now for organ meat he can get all the good stuff, and we'll be feeding Turkey/Pork/some Beef for meats. Just thought I'd post because when we went back to kibble for a couple weeks when he was allergic to chicken, his breath started to stink again, and his coat wasn't as nice, I'm just so happy everything worked out and I can start raw again.

Oh and 1 question. Since he is allergic to chicken, does that mean he will be allergic to eggs too? Is that a dumb question?

[El_EmDubya]

Oh and 1 question. Since he is allergic to chicken, does that mean he will be allergic to eggs too? Is that a dumb question?

Not necessarily.

AND, he may not be allergic to grass/seed fed chickens vs corn fed.

Also, check out Greentripe.com products!!! If you can get a group of raw feeders together and order in volume, this can be a great source of beef organs + tripe, which has made my life much, much more simple

{Never again will I deal with a 16lb calf liver...oh Lordy, you should have seen the kitchen! It looked like a crime scene.}

[willyg44]

Oh and 1 question. Since he is allergic to chicken, does that mean he will be allergic to eggs too? Is that a dumb question?

Not necessarily.

AND, he may not be allergic to grass/seed fed chickens vs corn fed.

Also, check out Greentripe.com products!!! If you can get a group of raw feeders together and order in volume, this can be a great source of beef organs + tripe, which has made my life much, much more simple

{Never again will I deal with a 16lb calf liver...oh Lordy, you should have seen the kitchen! It looked like a crime scene.}

Thanks for the reply, and the link. I'd love to try that stuff, I don't know any other raw feeders in the area though Maybe one day. And 16 pound calf liver?! Wowww, that's craziness.

[kaytenmags]

{Never again will I deal with a 16lb calf liver...oh Lordy, you should have seen the kitchen! It looked like a crime scene.}

oh man, i can totally relate to that. i was dealing with a massive moose liver a week ago!

[willyg44]

So I was tempted to get this beef tripe that the local market had by me, but is there a difference between beef tripe and "green" beef tripe? It's in the meat department, packaged by the market so I assume they get it fresh, but it doesn't say green tripe on the label, just beef tripe. It looks more of a dull white with a slight green tint maybe? I don't want to get it if it isn't the good stuff! Is it supposed to be real green or something? Or does this sound good.

[El_EmDubya]

The cleaned beef tripe is for human consumption and is mostly water and fiber, so I wouldn't recommend the CLEANED version for your dogs. The GREEN tripe contains partially digested grass/veggies + enzymes + dirt (very important metals) + 70% water + EFAs and random other good stuff. (http://www.greentripe.com/ If it doesn't stink like cow poo, it's not green tripe

[starrlamia]

ok so im planning on starting my guys on raw when this bag of kibble runs out (a few weeks)
my bff works for a pork packing plant so i can get pork at decent prices and will start them out on that....

My curiosity is for a 24lb and 42lb dog are hocks and tails good meals?
what cuts of pork should i look at? in my price range I can get:

select butts
picnic shoulders
bone in ham
side ribs
tails
hocks
bellies rib in/rind on
tongues
back rib ends

I can also possibly get a super good deal on ribs with boar taint (i think thats what its called, something about male pigs with cryptorchid?... )

Also, I was reading
Raw and Natural Nutrition for dogs by Lew olson and it mentioned feeding an RMB for one meal and muscle meat for the next, does that sound about right?

[FBODGRL]

I am just over a month end and Khan has bone in meals for almost every meal still. A week or so ago I fed him just venison(no bone) for a meal and he had diarrhea. He has had fish(catfish, cod and tilapia) fillets basically no bone/very little with no issue. So as far as RMB one meal and muscle meat the next a lot will depend on how your dogs do(poop wise)

Tonight he had pork ribs and a couple pieces of venison. I'm hoping for no surprises when I get home from work. I am going to try and slowly add meat into smaller bone in meals.

I feed pork necks and ribs. I have tried feet and that didn't go well. I have 3 more in the freezer that I will probably try again at another time. I also have some tails that I haven't tried yet. I'm not sure how much nutritional value/meat there really is, but I figured I'd feed them with something else.

Oh and I feed 2 meals a day...

I'm not entirely sure starting with pork is a good idea, but someone with more experience will probably be able to answer that. I know they recommend chicken because the bones are softer. I made the mistake of starting with beef...after explosive diarrhea I restarted with Turkey and have been going strong from there.

[starrlamia]

I am just over a month end and Khan has bone in meals for almost every meal still. A week or so ago I fed him just venison(no bone) for a meal and he had diarrhea. He has had fish(catfish, cod and tilapia) fillets basically no bone/very little with no issue. So as far as RMB one meal and muscle meat the next a lot will depend on how your dogs do(poop wise)

Tonight he had pork ribs and a couple pieces of venison. I'm hoping for no surprises when I get home from work. I am going to try and slowly add meat into smaller bone in meals.

I feed pork necks and ribs. I have tried feet and that didn't go well. I have 3 more in the freezer that I will probably try again at another time. I also have some tails that I haven't tried yet. I'm not sure how much nutritional value/meat there really is, but I figured I'd feed them with something else.

Oh and I feed 2 meals a day...

I'm not entirely sure starting with pork is a good idea, but someone with more experience will probably be able to answer that. I know they recommend chicken because the bones are softer. I made the mistake of starting with beef...after explosive diarrhea I restarted with Turkey and have been going strong from there.

thanks!
My guys have had pork meals before with no issues, they regularily eat riblets, hocks and tails so Im hoping that means they will be ok.

[FransterDoo]

select butts
Probably

picnic shoulders
Yes

bone in ham
unless it's a preprocessed ham - no. Ham is cooked/smoked and that imparts a lot of salt and such. If they had a mis-production and they are trying to off bad cuts - then it'll be a big butcher job, but yes.

side ribs
tails
hocks
bellies rib in/rind on
tongues
back rib ends
Yes.

Your next thought process should be to which of these are the right size for your dogs. The Tails might be too small for either of them unless you have thoughtful eaters. I'd probably use the tails as a crate snack or feed in a partially frozen chuck to minimize the possibility of swallowing them whole.

What it looks like you are missing is edible bones for your 24-pounder. Look for items like chicken drumsticks, thighs and the bigger 1/2 of a turkey wings for her. Now, she might become a raw rock star and just right in with the big dog stuff but I'd start her out with something you know she can be successful with - if it's too difficult in the beginning, some dogs will "give up".

I can also possibly get a super good deal on ribs with boar taint (i think thats what its called, something about male pigs with cryptorchid?... )

Also, I was reading
Raw and Natural Nutrition for dogs by Lew olson and it mentioned feeding an RMB for one meal and muscle meat for the next, does that sound about right?

[starrlamia]

select butts
Probably

picnic shoulders
Yes

bone in ham
unless it's a preprocessed ham - no. Ham is cooked/smoked and that imparts a lot of salt and such. If they had a mis-production and they are trying to off bad cuts - then it'll be a big butcher job, but yes.

side ribs
tails
hocks
bellies rib in/rind on
tongues
back rib ends
Yes.

Your next thought process should be to which of these are the right size for your dogs. The Tails might be too small for either of them unless you have thoughtful eaters. I'd probably use the tails as a crate snack or feed in a partially frozen chuck to minimize the possibility of swallowing them whole.

What it looks like you are missing is edible bones for your 24-pounder. Look for items like chicken drumsticks, thighs and the bigger 1/2 of a turkey wings for her. Now, she might become a raw rock star and just right in with the big dog stuff but I'd start her out with something you know she can be successful with - if it's too difficult in the beginning, some dogs will "give up".

I can also possibly get a super good deal on ribs with boar taint (i think thats what its called, something about male pigs with cryptorchid?... )

Also, I was reading
Raw and Natural Nutrition for dogs by Lew olson and it mentioned feeding an RMB for one meal and muscle meat for the next, does that sound about right?

Thanks so much!!!!!
Brie is pretty good with raw, she has had ox tails, riblets, chicken backs, turkey wings, pork necks, I can definately get her some smaller items to start off with.

I think I will definately order tails (for treats... they are really good with them when ive gotten them in the past), hocks and tongue, and probably one more thing... Would it be more worthwhile to get back end ribs or bellies? If you can recommend

Thanks again!

[FransterDoo]

What's your pricing on those? I'm questioning that they have bellies that aren't uber expensive. After all, they are in good demand these days

For me, I'd look at if I had a nice mix of bone and boneless. It I had some nice fat on pieces and how much money I had to spend!

[starrlamia]

What's your pricing on those? I'm questioning that they have bellies that aren't uber expensive. After all, they are in good demand these days

For me, I'd look at if I had a nice mix of bone and boneless. It I had some nice fat on pieces and how much money I had to spend!

they are all under $3.50/kg (trying to stay under $1.50/lb)

bellies are 3.00/kg or 1.36/lb approx.

Whereas I can get rib ends $2/kg (0.90 cents) or shoulders for the same.

[p27rpy]

i started cash on a raw diet about 3 weeks ago, and was very skeptical about it at first. but after 3 weeks, i have to say that the results are very promising! check them out for yourself:

Cash's teeth before raw diet (Ignore the chipped tooth, it's all fixed up now)


And after 3 weeks on raw:

[starrlamia]

What's your pricing on those? I'm questioning that they have bellies that aren't uber expensive. After all, they are in good demand these days

For me, I'd look at if I had a nice mix of bone and boneless. It I had some nice fat on pieces and how much money I had to spend!

I talked to my friend and she said the bellys are really fatty, so Im assuming that wouldnt be a good idea?